EDMONTON — Linda Duncan became Alberta's first two-term NDP MP Monday as the party easily held its sole Alberta seat against the province's Tory wave.

"It takes a lot to take down the Conservatives in Alberta, and my team did it," she told fellow candidates and a cheering crowd of supporters at a downtown hotel.

"It looks like we're second in almost every riding again. It just wasn't time yet to have the Orange Crush in Alberta. We did it in Quebec, so Alberta next time."

Laurie Hawn was re-elected in Edmonton-Centre, and said that the Harper majority should stabilize federal politics.

"This will give us the opportunity to get on with it, without all the destructiveness of a minority government," he said.

Liberal Mary MacDonald provided her party's best showing in the city's eight ridings, coming within about 10,000 votes of Hawn's total.

The NDP fall well short in its hope of taking Edmonton-East from veteran incumbent Peter Goldring, who easily defeated 68-year-old former provincial New Democrat leader Ray Martin.

Martin, loser in three other attempts to win a federal seat, told supporters he's retiring from politics.

"I've been saying this for a long time. In politics, you never say never, but this is my last hurrah. We went out with a bang. It's time to step away and let the next generation come forward."

Goldring watched the results of his sixth straight electoral victory in his constituency office with his right arm in a sling, telling supporters his arm was sore from planting campaign signs.

Tory Tim Uppal widened his lead in Edmonton-Sherwood Park from the close race he had in 2008 with Conservative-turned-independent James Ford.

Rona Ambrose, the only cabinet minister from northern Alberta in the previous government, steamrollered over her opponents in Edmonton-Spruce Grove.

Voters in cities across the country have joined Edmontonians in showing strong Conservative support, she said.

"In a majority government, I think the key word there is stability. We have four years to govern in an effective and, I think, predictable way," she said.

"That's what Canadians asked us to do and we're very thankful for their confidence."

As expected, Calgary went solidly Conservative, grabbing convincing wins in their ridings not long after polls closed in the city.

The victors included Stephen Harper in Calgary Southwest.

Calgary Centre North, one of only two open ridings in southern Alberta, saw Conservative newcomer Michelle Rempel declared winner in her diverse, inner-city riding.

A newcomer to the riding after former Environment Minister Jim Prentice retired last November, Rempel was predicted to have a good shot, touting a strong resume as current co-chair of the party's national policy development committee and director of the institutional programs division at the University of Calgary.

Beyond Calgary city limits, Jim Hillyer also won in Lethbridge, the only other open riding in southern Alberta after the retirement of popular 14-year Conservative MP Rick Casson.

Medicine Hat, touted initially to be an interesting contest with sitting mayor and former RCMP superintendent Norm Boucher running as a Liberal, was taken easily by Conservative incumbent LaVar Payne who has held the riding since 2008.

Wild Rose incumbent Conservative Blake Richards also took a victory after being contested by John Reilly, a former high profile provincial court judge with strong ties to the native community.

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